HOUSE BILL No. 4085

 

February 1, 2005, Introduced by Reps. Taub and Amos and referred to the Committee on Education.

 

     A bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled

 

"The revised school code,"

 

by amending sections 951, 952, 953, 953a, 954, 955, and 971 (MCL

 

380.951, 380.952, 380.953, 380.953a, 380.954, 380.955, and

 

380.971), section 951 as amended by 1990 PA 147, section 952 as

 

amended by 1982 PA 370, and section 953a as added and section 971

 

as amended by 1995 PA 289, and by adding section 951a.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 951. (1)  An  Subject to section 951a, an intermediate

 

school board may detach territory from 1 school district and attach

 

the territory to another school district  if  in any of the

 

following circumstances:

 


     (a) If requested to do so by resolution of the board of a

 

school district whose boundaries would be changed by the action.  ;

 

subject

 

     (b) Subject to subsection  (2)  (3), by resolution of the

 

board of a condominium association acting pursuant to a petition

 

signed by not less than 2/3 of the co-owners of the condominium

 

association who reside on the land to be transferred.  ; or if

 

     (c) If petitioned by not less than 2/3 of the persons who own

 

and reside on the land to be transferred.

 

     (2) The intermediate school board shall take final action

 

within 60 days after the receipt of the resolution or petition. The

 

territory to be detached shall be contiguous to the school district

 

to which it is attached.  If  Subject to section 951a, if the

 

latest  assessed valuation  taxable value of the territory to be

 

detached is more than 10% of the latest  assessed valuation  

 

taxable value of the entire school district from which the

 

territory is to be detached, the action of the intermediate school

 

board shall not be effective unless approved by an affirmative vote

 

of a majority of the school electors of the school district from

 

which the territory is to be detached.

 

     (3)   (2)  The board of a condominium association may request

 

that an intermediate school board detach territory from 1 school

 

district and attach the territory to another school district as

 

described in subsection (1) only if the board of the condominium

 

association represents the co-owners of a condominium project that

 

is completed and not less than 75% of the units are sold and

 

occupied.

 


     Sec. 951a. (1) An intermediate school board shall transfer

 

territory under this section by detaching territory from 1 school

 

district and attaching the territory to another school district

 

that is contiguous to the territory if all of the following are

 

met:

 

     (a) The territory to be transferred is a subdivision, village,

 

city, or township that includes property in more than 1 school

 

district or is a subdivision that is located in a village, city, or

 

township that includes property in more than 1 school district.

 

     (b) The territory to be transferred has not been previously

 

transferred under this section within the immediately preceding 15

 

years.

 

     (c) The intermediate school board is petitioned to make the

 

transfer by not less than 80% of the school electors who reside in

 

the territory to be transferred. If the affected school districts

 

are in more than 1 intermediate school district, the petition may

 

be filed with either intermediate school board. The petition shall

 

specifically include all of the following:

 

     (i) The boundaries of the territory to be transferred.

 

     (ii) The total number of mills of ad valorem property tax

 

levied by the school district from which the territory is to be

 

detached, including both operating millage and debt millage.

 

     (iii) The total number of mills of ad valorem property tax

 

levied by the school district to which the territory is to be

 

attached, including both operating millage and debt millage.

 

     (iv) A statement that the territory may continue to be part of

 

the school district from which it is detached for the purpose of

 


levying debt retirement taxes for bonded indebtedness existing at

 

the time of the transfer until the bonds are redeemed, but that the

 

territory will be a part of the school district to which it is to

 

be attached for all other purposes.

 

     (d) The intermediate school board determines that the number

 

of pupils who reside in the territory to be transferred and are

 

currently enrolled in the school district from which the territory

 

is to be detached does not exceed 125.

 

     (e) The board of the school district to which the territory is

 

to be attached approves the proposed transfer.

 

     (f) The transfer is approved by a majority of those school

 

electors residing in the territory to be transferred voting on the

 

question. The election shall be conducted by the board of the

 

school district to which the territory is to be attached.

 

     (2) A transfer of territory under this section is not subject

 

to approval by the school electors or school board of the school

 

district from which the territory is detached.

 

     (3) If an intermediate school board receives a petition under

 

subsection (1)(c), all of the following apply:

 

     (a) The intermediate school board shall notify the board of

 

the school district to which the territory is to be attached of the

 

petition and forward the petition to that board within 3 days after

 

receiving the petition.

 

     (b) The board of the school district to which the territory is

 

to be attached shall act to approve or disapprove the proposed

 

transfer within 45 days after receiving the petition.

 

     (c) If the board of the school district to which the territory

 


is to be attached approves the transfer, that board shall conduct

 

the election required under subsection (1)(f) within 60 days after

 

approving the proposed transfer.

 

     (d) If the transfer of territory is approved at the election,

 

the transfer of territory takes effect at the beginning of the next

 

school fiscal year immediately following final certification of the

 

election results.

 

     (4) As used in this section, "subdivision" means a subdivision

 

platted under the land division act, 1967 PA 288, MCL 560.101 to

 

560.293, or under a predecessor act, or a condominium project with

 

a condominium subdivision plan under section 66 of the condominium

 

act, 1978 PA 59, MCL 559.166, that has been recorded by the

 

register of deeds.

 

     Sec. 952.  The  For a transfer of territory under section 951,

 

the intermediate superintendent shall give 10 days' notice of the

 

time and place of the meeting of the intermediate school board and

 

of the proposed alterations in school district boundaries to be

 

considered by publication once before the meeting in newspapers of

 

general circulation in the territory of the affected school

 

districts.

 

     Sec. 953. If the territory of school districts the boundaries

 

of which are affected by  the  a proposed alteration under section

 

951 extends into 2 or more intermediate school districts, the

 

intermediate school board of each intermediate school district

 

shall meet jointly and sit as a single board to act upon the

 

request for the transfer of territory. The resolution or petition

 

for the transfer of territory may be filed with the intermediate

 


school board of 1 of the intermediate school districts. The

 

intermediate superintendent shall call the joint meeting of the

 

affected intermediate school boards and give the notice of the

 

intermediate school districts' meeting under section 952. Action on

 

the resolution or petition for transfer of territory shall be taken

 

only at a meeting attended by at least a quorum of each of the

 

intermediate school boards. The intermediate school boards meeting

 

jointly shall elect 1 of their members chairperson and another

 

secretary of the meeting.

 

     Sec. 953a. In making a decision on a proposed transfer of

 

territory under  this part  section 951, the intermediate school

 

board, or the intermediate school boards meeting jointly, shall

 

consider the welfare of the affected pupil, including, but not

 

limited to, the length of the pupil's commute to and from school,

 

on a school bus or otherwise.

 

     Sec. 954. If the intermediate school board or the joint

 

intermediate school boards approve  alterations in the boundaries

 

of school districts  a transfer of territory under section 951 or

 

if there is a transfer of territory under section 951a, the board

 

or joint boards shall cause a map to be prepared showing in detail

 

the boundaries of the affected school districts before alteration

 

and the boundaries of territory attached or detached. A copy of the

 

map bearing the certification of the intermediate superintendent or

 

the chairperson of the joint boards shall be filed with the

 

secretary of each affected school district and with each affected

 

township supervisor or city assessor.

 

     Sec. 955. (1)  The  For a transfer of territory under section

 


951, the intermediate school board or joint intermediate school

 

boards shall determine the effective date of the transfer, which

 

shall not be less than 10 days after the date of the determination.  

 

, and

 

     (2) For a transfer of territory under either section 951 or

 

951a, the intermediate school board or joint intermediate school

 

boards shall determine whether personal property of a school

 

district is to be transferred. If real property owned by a school

 

district is located in the territory to be transferred to another

 

school district, the intermediate school board shall determine an

 

equitable payment for the loss of the property. The intermediate

 

school board or joint intermediate school boards may require an

 

accounting from the affected boards of education and, for the

 

purpose of making the determination, may adjourn subject to the

 

call of the president of the intermediate school board or

 

chairperson of the joint intermediate school boards.

 

     Sec. 971. (1)  One  Except as otherwise provided in subsection

 

(3), 1 or more resident owners of land considered for transfer from

 

1 school district to another, or the board of a school district

 

whose territory is affected, may appeal the action of the

 

intermediate school board or joint intermediate school boards in

 

transferring the land, the failure to transfer the land, or action

 

relative to the accounting determination to the  state board  

 

superintendent of public instruction within 10 days after the

 

action or determination by the intermediate school board or the

 

joint intermediate school boards. If the intermediate school board

 

or the joint intermediate school boards fail to take action within

 


the time limit under section 951, the appeal may be made to the  

 

state board  superintendent of public instruction within 10 days

 

following the termination of the period. The pendency of an appeal

 

shall suspend the action or determination of the intermediate

 

school board or joint intermediate school boards.

 

     (2)  The state board  Upon appeal under subsection (1), the

 

superintendent of public instruction may confirm, modify, or set

 

aside the order of the intermediate school board or the joint

 

intermediate school boards. In considering an appeal, the  state

 

board  superintendent of public instruction shall consider the

 

welfare of  the  any affected  pupil  pupils, including, but not

 

limited to, the length of the  pupil's  pupils' commute to and from

 

school, on a school bus or otherwise. The action of the  state

 

board  superintendent of public instruction on the appeal is final.

 

     (3) This section does not apply to a transfer of territory

 

under section 951a.